A new website by the Royal National Institute of Hearing (RNIH) has been launched.
Its theme, "Imagine a World Without Money".
Ask the Readers:
What do you think? Throw us your thoughts in the comments.
See also:
The Sickness of Deaf Awareness Week: Imagine A World Without Sound
We may be grumpy, but we still wish there was more stuff on YouTube etc like this bloke's video:
More BSL funnies, please!
Know of any? Tell us!
b3ta.com, a time wasting Friday afternoon site, recently published on its boards "Car logos for the deaf"
Petrolheads, how many do you recognise?
via JK - thanks!
We all know how long Friday afternoons can be sometimes. So, if you want something to read, why not try TigerDeafie, Dr Steven Emery's cool new blog. Nice photo, Steve!
Or you can always have a laugh over the uproar over the Thai Prime Minister's sign name. Oh dear. Some cultural chasms cannot seem to be bridged, no?
Jen
What I'd like to know is which bright spark at the RNId came up with the downright offensive idea for an Ear of the Year* competition?!
"Ears are beautiful and amazing things and we think they have been neglected for far too long! So we've launched a search to find the UK's sexiest ears," say the RNId.
Well, I disagree! In general, I find ears rather weird to look at. Let's face it, most ears are just funny shaped bits of skin, mine included. Sexy? I don't think so. I'm much more of a fan of hands or eyes, myself.
And if your ears don't work, what's meant to be amazing about them?! Mine are useful for holding my glasses on, but that's it.
Haven't the RNId got anything better to do other than encourage people to take photos of their ears, and me to type grumpy blog posts during my lunch break?!
For heaven's sake.
jen
* The red bit is a link. Click on it!
A rather un-grumpy vlog, featuring Jen, her runaway dog and some trees...
English script:
It's International Sign Languages Day today, and I thought I would vlog from my corner of the world, just to show that, indeed, there are sign languages all over the world.
So here I am in the middle of nowhere - AKA Yorkshire - quite near my house. It's kind of over there somewhere... can you swivel the camera please?
[CAMERA PANS TO SHOW TREES & NICE BLUE SKY]
Great, thank you. Oh no, the dog's running off! [LOL] Happy International Sign Languages Day! Oh, one last thing...
PROTECT BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE IN LAW - NOW!
Oh dear. The naked signing newsreaders have had their funding pulled... perhaps that'll teach them not to use SL as a way to make money!?
On another note, however, I disagree with pornography in any form... BUT if people want to make Deaf-accessible porn, shouldn't they be allowed to? And if so, is it fair of the Japanese Government to exclude porn from their access funding criteria? Does anyone care?
Discuss!
Jen
Well, you never know what they know.
jen
See also:
Coming soon: will you be forced to get your hearing aids from the RNID?
Autonomy and Gurning
Got this from Deafweekly:
"JAPAN OFFERS NUDE NEWS IN SIGN LANGUAGEA Japanese TV program that combines nudity and sign language made headlines this month when it was revealed that the program is subsidized by the government. Paradise Television Inc. was given about 150,000 yen ($1,231 US) to help pay for sign-language translations of “Hadaka no News Station” (Naked News Station), said The Mainichi Newspapers. The money funds a five-minute segment in which Miyabe Fujino gradually sheds her clothing while presenting the news in sign language. “I generally welcome sign-language translations for TV programs,” said Japanese Federation of the Deaf official Mitsuji Hisamatsu, “but it’s questionable to provide a subsidy for this particular program.”"
The question that must be asked is... why?
(I get the Deaf-hearing-equality-in-nudity argument, thanks... just.... why?!)
- jen
The Sunday Times carried this picture and caption at the back of its News Review section, asking what Bush was doing, in satire style. Deaf people came into it:
Another day, another slightly embarrassing picture of President George Bush. But what is he doing here? Is it:a) Dancing in the garden of the White House to promote World Malaria Day
b) Explaining his new policy on Iraq to a conference of Republican deaf signers
c) Frankly, it's anybody's guess
Without not wishing risk coming across as if I have no sense of humour whatsoever, I wonder if this devalues ASL? Its portrayed alongside other non serious options to be mocked at? Why isn't a Republican conference delivered in ASL a perfectly valid option (thus not make people laugh)? Or is it the concept of Bush using ASL something we are meant to be laughing at, as too far fetched? Whilst he's not using ASL, why would the use of make it "slightly embarrassing"?
Yesterday I blogged about subtitling the hard of hearing way. Adam Buxton also produced a voice over for a BSL/English Interpreter, as he understood it (not understanding BSL):
Deafies won't get the voice over, so a friend has transcribed it (thanks, C!), here goes:
Rob, she had a handle on her chest, a special pack of cards and a nail through her hand. Her breasts were badly unbalanced and her finger was bent back. She was stroking a very uneven cat, which she put into a zip-pocket on her arm. She saw her breasts pop out and shouted, "No!" She got into a fight with a man in a suit, who was drinking champagne, wearing a bib and a bowler hat. She opened a big book and snapped it shut it on the man's fingers. "I didn't like having a book shut on my fingers!" said the man, "You're a rotten person and I hope your nipples fall off, and also, you smell." "Wait", she said, "on your shoulder there's a man's head. He's got a goatee and I think it's Jesus. Do you want me to stab him in the neck with a fork?" "No way!" said the man, "Think about it. Why would I want you to stab my own head with a fork?" "Because it's teeny weeny and made of paper." said the woman. "That's enough!" said the man, stamping her passport. Twice. He broke a breadstick and jabbed it into the palm of her hand. She couldn't take any more and said, "Stop! My breasts are very hot. I ate something weird today and now my breath stinks.
Judging by the comments left, hearies appear to find this very funny. This is how much people who can't sign get BSL, or rather not, and possibly what's going on in their minds as watching a terp. Reading that, my brain really is not wired up to get it: the BSL of course, makes perfect sense.
Adam Buxton subtitled a hymn as it sounds or looks to the hard of hearing:
Hearies seem to think its funny judging by the comments, and probably a good way to get a point across via humour. What hymn is it anyhow? Or are they really singing as the subtitles read? :-D